Java Restaurant — Restaurant in Sydney

HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE (CASH ONLY)! Some of our favorite food in Sydney. My wife and I came here 3 separate times to eat over a 4 day span because we loved it so much. The owner and staff of the restaurant are so friendly and work so well as a team when the place is packed (plus they always have a smile on their faces).

The first night was extremely busy with a couple of large parties, but the owner and staff did very well keeping up with it all and we were served in a timely manner. The owner even brought us out a small dish of the Indonesian style peanuts, which was unexpected but very nice (they were delicious too) We ordered Martabak Daging (beef, egg, onion and shallot wrapped in crispy pastry), Nasi Goreng (Indonesian style fried rice), and Rendang Sapi (slow cooked beef chunks in coconut cream and gravy). Everything was so good and you can’t go wrong with any of these options but our favorite dish this night was the Rendang Sapi as the flavors really popped and the meat fell apart because it was so tender (recommend a rice dish to eat with it).

The second night, the restaurant was equally as busy as the first night with smaller parties, but we were seated immediately. We ordered Satay Ayam (chicken skewer with peanut sauce), Empal goreng (fried premium beef chunks served with sambal terasi/spicy dip), Kwetiaw goreng (stir fried thick rice noodle with chicken, fish cakes, vegetables, prawn pieces and egg). Once again, all the dishes were outstanding but my favorite dish was the Satay Ayam because the chicken was extremely tender and the peanut sauce was to die for (I wanted to lick the plate clean). My wife’s favorite dish was the Kwetiaw Goreng because it was loaded with veggies and the texture of the thick rice noodle was on point.

The third day for lunch the restaurant was much less busy and the owner brought us out some complimentary shrimp chips that were very unique and tasty. We ordered Ayam goreng sereh (fried chicken marinated in lemon grass and spices), Laksa of Java (soup dish served with vermicelli noodles, topped with bean sprouts, chicken, prawn cutlets, fish cake pieces and egg slices), and Nasi Kuning Polos (rice flavored with turmeric, lemon grass and coconut cream). Our favorite dish was the Ayam Goreng Sereh because there was a good variety of chicken pieces (1/2 chicken) and it was practically falling off the bone. The chicken had a nice lemon grass flavor that was not overpowering.

We wish we had more time in Sydney to try the rest of the amazing Indonesian dishes that are served at Java Kitchen. I can’t say enough about how nice the owner and staff are. We will definitely be coming back to this place when we come...

We love the food here.

My favourite would be the sate ayam. The flavour is as I would expect. The smokiness of the chicken combines perfectly with the sate sauce they use. Yes, sate is different everywhere in Indonesia but I’d rate this as an authentic east Javanese flavour experience.

The Gado-Gado is also superb, with an Australian slant due to the availability of Australian ingredients.

My photos also include the ketoprak. Hmmm there’s a peanut sauce emphasis here. The ketoprak is of course excellent and “asli” ( original).

The empal is a standout at this restaurant. It does take some time to prepare so on this visit we were disappointed - sold out due to a recent big order. It is a meat dish cooked in a very carefully balanced combination of spices and flavours such as candlenut. You must try this!

Also uploaded was a photo of our fu yung hai - omelette. It was so delicious I think I monopolised it at our share-plate table.

Our group presents with multiple allergies and coeliac disease. Needless to say they are very helpful.

Only thing to watch out for here is they do cash only.

Oh yeah, sorry for the shadows in the photos. Will do better...

How has it taken me this long to find Java? I have been going to the Coach and Horses for Wednesday night trivia for 18 months now and have made Java a regular part of “Hump Day”.

We have a regular 615pm booking there and are making our way through their delicious menu. The beef rendang, fish in banana leaf and eggplant are firm favourites but we are trying something new each week.

I don’t know how the owner, Joh, does it. He juggles taking the orders and getting the food out on time all by himself. Plus numerous takeaway orders. By 630pm, Java is packed!

Joh is always friendly with a big smile when we show up. Apparently we are his favourite trivia group though to be fair, we may be his only trivia group. There is always a special treat for us at the end.

Highly recommend for any night of the week!!!

p.s. Don’t let the cash payment put you off. You can also transfer...